Young Persons Service

Established in 2005 our Young Persons Service provides specialised treatment programmes for young people between the ages of 12-18 years with acute mental health problems. We provide an integrated pathway of services including outpatient, day patient and inpatient treatment options.


We are able to treat a variety of mental health problems for young people including stress related illnesses and emotional disorders such as depression, anxiety, addictive behaviour, eating disorders, anger management and family issues. Cygnet prides itself in the provision of high quality, outcomes focused, value for money services.

Young Persons Unit

Knole Ward, the inpatient unit at Cygnet Hospital Godden Green contains 12 en-suite bedrooms and provides a calm, therapeutic and self-contained environment separated from the rest of the hospital. It has its own separate lounge, dining, therapy and educational facilities as well as an outdoor Astroturf sports area. The ward environment is suitable for private and NHS admissions on a formal and informal basis.

Therapy Programme

Our extensive therapy programme includes the following:

  • Structured evening and weekend activities determined by young person’s choice
  • Group activities e.g. yoga, art therapy, community meeting, 'walk and talk', psycho-education, relaxation
  • 1:1 therapy with psychologist or therapist (including EMDR, CBT)
  • Family therapy and parent / carer support
  • Outings within the local area enabling social inclusion

Referral & Admission Process

Our Young Persons Unit accepts both formal and informal admissions. We also consider both planned and emergency admissions 24 hours a day. We offer a pre-admission multi-disciplinary assessment for all planned admissions and encourage all prospective patients to visit the Unit beforehand. Information for a referral includes:

  • Current presentation
  • Reason for referral
  • Brief history including previous admissions
  • Current and historical risk assessments
  • Confirmation that funding has been agreed

We provide a response within 1 hour of receiving the above information. This includes out of hours.

Following admission a full physical, mental and social assessment takes place over the first 72 hours. The young person and their parents / carers are also provided with full information on the envrionment and service. Links are made with all other relevant agencies and the CPA process commences.

If you would like to know more information about any aspect of our Young Persons Service please call us on 01732 763 491.

Related Services

Cygent also provides a nationally regarded Eating Disorder service for adolescents aged 16-18 years old at Cygnet Hospital Ealing, in West London. For more information please visit our Cygnet Hospital Ealing web page.

Why Refer to our Young Persons Unit?

  • 77% of young people leaving our YPU are discharged home - this indicates a successful outcome.
  • The average length of stay is 24 nights - a shorter length of stay is clearly beneficial and reduces costs.
  • Patient satisfaction scores consistently exceed 70% - service users clearly value the service.

Contact the hospital

Cygnet Hospital Godden Green Godden Green Sevenoaks Kent TN15 0JR Tel: 01732 763 491
Fax: 01732 763 160
Enquire Online

Testimonials

"You may think that this is hell right now, but it will lead you to heaven."

"I came to the YPU as a scared messed up girl and managed to sort everything out. I am not a victim, I am a survivor. This could not be possible without the support of the staff on the YPU."

"My stay at Godden Green really helped me deal with quite a few things, especially trusting people again ."